Jason Wu has become a master of collaboration. Following successful capsules with Eloquii and Target, the designer known for dressing Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle (among dozens of other celebrities) is releasing one of his most affordable collections to date.
In May, it was announced that he would design a holiday collection of Kohl’s, the latest capital-f Fashion name to join the retailer’s roster of private-label brands. “What we really wanted to do was create a collection that’s elevated and looks very special,” he tells Glamour of JW Jason Wu. “The idea was to provide the Kohl’s customer—or any customer, for that matter—with a collection that has a timeless quality to it.”
These pieces are meant to “stand the test of time,” he says, not speak to the specific trends of one season. Everything’s under $100, and available in sizes XS to XXL (roughly sizes 0 to 18, according to Kohl’s size chart).
In recent years, Wu has diversified his business not just by expanding his sizes (with Eloquii and 11 Honoré) and price point (with Target, and now Kohl’s), but through partnerships beyond the scope of fashion: He’s designed furniture, created a fragrance.
“The overall theme [of my work] is really timelessness, refinement, and sophistication—that’s something everybody can appreciate,” he says. “We don’t really care about trends—we care about things that make women feel beautiful.”
Regardless of the medium he’s working in, you’ll recognize a few recurring notes in the design. “I’m always very influenced by florals, and that’s really apparent here,” he says of this Kohl’s collection. (The reason? His dad is an avid gardener.) “You can see a lot of my DNA in here. Never met a dot I didn’t love. It’s about timeless beauty and femininity; great fabrics and great detail. At the same time, there’s really a great range for everyone, from things you can wear to work to a little fur coverup.”
This particular collection was conceptualized, developed, and produced in less than a year (pretty quick turnaround for a collaboration of this scale)—a result of Wu himself communicating directly with the Kohl’s team. He looked at gaps in the retailer’s inventory, and saw an opportunity to introduce more occasionwear. He pivoted accordingly.
The best feedback he got, though, didn’t come from anyone at Kohl’s HQ—rather, it was the result of visiting an actual Kohl’s in Indianapolis. “If you don’t go to the store, the data doesn’t really amount to anything,” he says. “I’m really good at that, weirdly. People are surprised.” (So, if you ever run into Wu among the racks at your local big-box store… you now know why.)
“Our mission is to make really sophisticated, refined feminine clothes,” Wu says. “Listen, I’m not the first designer to do different price points. But I do feel we do it in a way that’s modern. We treat everything the same: the way it’s shot, the way it’s styled, the way we considered it. It’s modern to think about the market as a whole, not just in our little bubble. Sometimes, we say we’re ‘fashion designers,’ but we really don’t dress most people. I want to dress more people.”
See—and shop—every single look in JW Jason Wu, the designer’s collection for Kohl’s.
